14 month old nose picker

My 14 month old recently discovered her nose and nostrils and now I can't get her to keep her fingers out of them. To make matters worse she's getting more teeth and often moves back and forth from nose to mouth with the same finger. It's not a cute sight... I know she's young and is just exploring but is there anything can I do to decrease this behavior?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

There's a limit to what you can do because of her age. When you see the activity tell her to stop and place her in time out (seated in a chair) for a minute or two. The behavior will stop on its own after a while, but it's OK to set a limit the way I described above. You can also use Thum or a similar substance to discourage her placing her finger in her mouth.